I’ve played this game for two hours, as it literally showed up at my door at 9am (thanks, Amazon Prime!)
The original “Prototype” was…OK, I guess. Realistically, I picked it up because it was going to be another Hulk game from Radical, just without the Hulk license and more stabbing. If you wanted to trash a city, it was a fun choice, although I have to admit I preferred “inFamous”, mostly because the combat system and overall open world were better designed. “Prototype” ultimately didn’t have the AI to fulfill the ambition of its mechanics; if I eat a commander right in front of his platoon, run away and then come back once the heat’s off…why do they just blithely accept that?
This time around, my main impression is…man, do they love cutscenes.
The first half hour of this game is, literally, cutscene followed by linear gameplay followed by cutscene. Honestly, developers, if you need to do this to establish the story…rewrite the story. But realistically, we’re here for the gameplay, and it delivers, so far.
It’s largely the same “wreck the city/eat people and impersonate them” fun, with a few important tweaks. Now, instead of spending experience points at the move store, you earn upgrades by completing side missions and main missions, which make these a lot more compelling.
Another nice touch is the zones. Instead of the circles in the original game, the map is laid out with a military zone, an infected zone, and a refugee zone, each requiring a different style of gameplay. Basically, you can glance at the map and know either you need to run away and change your look, buckle down for a fight, or a mix of the two.
I’ll have a full review later in the week, but for now, “Prototype 2” is solid open-world fun.